Belmont Historical Society Presents Gerry Wright as Frederick Law Olmstead: Passages in the Life of an Unpractical Man.
Wright researched, wrote, and produced this one-man show honoring
Olmsted’s life and work and providing insights into his passionate
vision. Olmsted (1822–1903) had a multi-faceted career as a journalist
and critic of slavery; as an appointee of Abraham Lincoln during the
Civil War; and as the landscape architect for Boston’s Emerald Necklace,
New York City’s Central Park, and the U.S. Capitol grounds among many
other treasures. Olmstead was a key pioneer in the movement to preserve
land as national parkland, both at Yosemite and Niagara Falls. Wright is
founder and president of the Friends of Jamaica Pond and has been
portraying Frederick Law Olmsted since 2003.